Lawmakers Grapple On Tax Aid For Disaster Victims

DENVER (AP) – Lawmakers are trying to agree on last-minute changes to a proposal that would give a property tax break to residents affected by massive Colorado flooding and wildfires last year.

The measure was the first bill introduced in the House this year, but lawmakers have struggled to get consensus on how much tax aid the state should pay for.

In its original form, the state would pay for a full year of property taxes on destroyed homes. Senators feared they didn’t have enough votes in the chamber to pass it, so they changed it so the state would pay for only the time after the property was destroyed.

On Wednesday, a bicameral committee restored the bill to its original form. Lawmakers have to pass it by midnight.